Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Getting Noticed – It's Part of the Game

Writing
a book is one thing. Getting people to read it, or even know it
exists, is another.

The
local library featured a speaker last night talking about how to get
the word out, how to find free ways to market your book and –
sorry, but it's part of the game – market yourself.

Anita
Paul is the author of "How to Market Your Book Free," and
for an hour and a half she talked about how to get people to notice you and your book.

Besides
the book, and a couple of others, she's got a marketing service which
runs the gamut from simple marketing plans to editing, design and
cover art. You can find her online here. The audience was about 30 hopeful authors ranging from a
girl of about 10 or 11, to a guy about 70.

Her
first question was, "Why are you writing your book?" You
want other people to read it, of course. Cynically, I wanted to say,
"Well, I want other people to buy it. If they read it, that's
gravy, but that’s up to them." Of course I didn't, and even if
that were the complete, unvarnished truth, writing a book worth
reading is of course a key component to getting them to buy it, and
then buy the next one.

And
that was sort of Paul's point. You have to build and constantly
reinforce your platform. That means you have to know your potential
audience – not something as ephemeral as "Oh, I'm writing this
for women," but specifically which women, what are their
interests, buying power, demographics, purchasing habits. Where do
they "hang out," either physically or online, and how do
you reach them?

Tori
and I were satisfied that a lot of the things she was recommending we
are already doing. Thanks to Talk Like a Pirate Day and the website
and pirate festivals all over, the platform is pretty solid. And I
know the target audience, hell, I know their names. As I've mentioned, I used Tori's fifth grade class as a test audience and it
was a terrific experience. So I know my audience. I can see them.

Paul
also talked about competitive analysis – how does your book stack
up against the competition. That means you have to keep an eye on,
and read, other books in your genre. To some writers this is
anathema. I think that attitude is silly, and Paul certainly agreed.
How can you know what's selling in your genre, what makes a book
popular or not, if you don't read them? Don't steal from them (at
least, don't be obvious about it) but you've got to know what's
happening. I still don't understand people who think they can write
in a genre that they never read. What are they basing it on?

She
had some specific tools to use beside the obvious Facebook, Twitter,
Amazon comments and other social media. There's a site called HARO –
Help a Reporter Out – where reporters from media large and small
can look for experts in a field and you can become a source for a
story, giving you a little more exposure. And Radio Guest List is a
place radio stations, especially smaller ones, go to find guests to
interview online. Don't turn your nose up at the smaller markets –
true, five minutes on a big city drive-time show will get you the
same exposure as eight or ten interviews on smaller stations, but the
converse is equally true, and a lot easier to do. The big stations
are harder to break into. Trust me on this.

Have
your talking points laid out, including the title of your book a
really short precis, and your website. That exposure will help you
get sales.

Because,
as Paul emphasized, people like personalities. It's not enough to
write a good book, although that's obviously key. But you have to
convince readers it's worth their time, it will thrill or surprise or
move them. It's entertaining. And the way to do that is to be
entertaining. Writers, at least by stereotype,
tend to be a quiet lot, uncomfortable in the spotlight. That's part
of why we became writers. Because we can do that all alone, with the
door closed and no one watching. Fear of public speaking is
reportedly the biggest phobia of 'em all, and doubly so for writers.

Now,
maybe I'm wrong about that, but if I'm right – and I think I am –
I'm an exception to the rule. Because I like to talk. I'm a talky
guy, chatty, even. I honestly don't mind talking, with one or two
people or in front of groups of any size, on any subject, whether I
know anything about it or not. Cap'n Slappy and I have done hundreds
of radio interviews, once 80 in a 35-hour stretch. So I think I've
got that covered.

I
spent time this morning registering for both HARO and RGL, which are
both free (although they have more advanced services you can pay
for.) And Tori and I have been talking about what we need to do to
promote "Chance" and "Chrissie" when – not if,
when – they hit the market.

As
Paul said, waiting until the book is on the shelves is too late to
start planning to sell it. But of course, the first thing you have to
do is write it. She has an answer for that, too. It's her book, "Write Your Book in 90 Days or Less." That sounds a little daunting, but it
really makes sense, and I'm not talking about her formula. Writing a
novel in 90 days sounds totally do-able.

But
I'll have more to say about that later. This is too long, and I've got other work to do.

About Me

Co-founder of Talk Like a Pirate Day, I'm a pirate and a writer, earning a living as a reporter and editor for an online news source while trying to write novels. I'm working on my fifth right now.In that time, I have kept a writing log, jotting down notes after the day's work is finished. I've decided to put it online as a blog, if for no other reason than to save the cost of a new notebook.